Tow-truck driver killed in North Side crash

A tow-truck driver was killed overnight as he was trying to move a disabled vehicle from I-71 on the North Side.

Holly Zachariah, The Columbus Dispatch

A tow-truck driver was killed overnight as he was trying to move a disabled vehicle from I-71 on the North Side.

Police say William Houck, 60, was standing along the berm at 3:45 a.m., just north of Cooke Road, connecting a vehicle to his tow truck when he was hit by a northbound Nissan driven by 59-year-old Thomas Frederick, of Columbus.

Frederick drove off the freeway and hit the back of the disabled vehicle first, and then Houck, authorities said. Houck was taken to Riverside Methodist Hospital, where he died less than an hour later.

Police did not provide addresses for Houck or Frederick.

It also was unclear for what tow company Houck was driving.

The crash closed the freeway until after 7 a.m.

The investigation continues.

hzachariah@dispatch.com

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